About Big Blue Bug
Rhode Island’s most famous insect is approximately fifty-eight feet long, weighs around four thousand pounds, and has spent decades on the roof of a pest-control company beside Interstate 95.
The oversized termite was installed in 1980 as an advertising landmark for what was then New England Pest Control. The company says the sculpture was modeled after an eastern subterranean termite. It was originally painted purple, but sunlight repeatedly faded the color toward blue. Eventually the accidental color became part of the identity.
A public naming contest in 1990 produced the name Nibbles Woodaway. The giant bug became so recognizable that the company later rebranded itself as Big Blue Bug Solutions. Seasonal costumes and decorations have helped turn what began as a commercial mascot into one of Providence’s most familiar roadside landmarks.
The bug sits on the roof of an active business rather than a dedicated attraction. Visitors should photograph it only from lawful public areas and should not interfere with company operations or highway traffic. The easiest encounter may simply be looking up while passing the building and realizing that the object on the roof is not a billboard. It is a termite the size of a bus.